Friday, January 25, 2013

Stepping Into Taxidermy

I’ve been toying around with the idea of doing taxidermy for a few years now, and that is why when Chad decided to mount his eight point that he shot opening day of gun in 2011, I took advantage of the opportunity and asked Ken Krueze, a family friend that does all of our taxidermy, if I could shadow him during the process of mounting Chad’s deer. Lucky for me, Ken was more than willing to educate me on the fine art of taxidermy, so after watching several Youtube videos and tagging along with Ken, I feel I have a pretty good idea of how to do a shoulder mount deer head, and I am currently in the process of mounting a buck that I shot this year.I am excited to see how it turns out.

Stoney Grass Taxidermy will be the name of my business, and of course, all Krack Boy Outdoor members get the finest service and a great discount.Also, my first few customers can get a shoulder mount for $250 because I am new to the trade and looking for some practice.So if you or someone you know shot a nice deer this year but are not sure if they want to spend $350 to $400 for a mount, here is the chance to get a great deal.Just send an email to bkraker@hotmail.com or call me at 616-836-0655.

Below are pictures of Chad’s buck that I worked on with Ken.

Special thanks to Ken Krueze for taking the time to teach me the tricks of the trade.

4 comments:

Awesome,I didnt know you were doing that. I cant help but think stony grass has something to do with the stones we used to rake out of our lawn after the snow melted.... I will have one for you in October

I've been dangerously close to getting into taxidermy too. Every spring at the hamilton rod and gun club they have an event that lasts all day where 8-10 taxidermists each mount a deer head.(from "almost" start to almost finished.) Some turned out pretty nice. Others, not so much. :) It is pretty interesting. Also, WASCO has a step by step DVD that shows how to do a deer head that is supposed to be one of the best DVDs made on the subject. One of these days, maybe I'll bite the bullet and get started. Good luck with it, it looks interesting. Do you plan on specializing in deer, or are you willing to take on other projects?-BK

I am going to stick with shoulder mount deer for now, but I hope to expand someday. I would like to do a coyote. As many nice deer as you shoot it would be worth your while to learn how. www.helpinghandhangers.com has some good videos you can check out online for free.